Chapter 55: Xinghan

Xie Xinghan had already realized that she was being led to this topic by Wang Yang, but she was still calm and composed:

"The 'Zuo Zhuan' says: 'Now accepting Xia Ji, greedy for her color. Greedy for color is lust, lust is a great punishment.' Greedy for color is lustful, lustful is lust, lust is a great punishment and great crime!"

Wang Yang immediately grabbed the loophole in Xie Xinghan's words:

"Not so. The King of Huainan narrated the 'Li Sao Commentary', saying that the 'National Customs' are lustful but not lewd, and the 'Minor Odes' are resentful but not chaotic. Then lustful is not necessarily lewd."

"Good!" Zong Ce slapped his thigh and shouted excitedly.

Xie Xinghan ate a loss, paused and said:

"Mencius: 'King Hui of Liang, Part II' says: 'The widow has a disease, the widow is lustful'. Lustful is a disease!"

Wang Yang smiled slightly:

"'Mencius: Wan Zhang, Part I' says: 'Lustful, human desire', 'Knowing lustful, then admire the young and beautiful'."

Xie Xinghan's tone became urgent:

"'Book of Rites: Fang Ji' says: 'Therefore, the gentleman stays away from color, taking it as a discipline for the people.' If color can be liked, why stay away from it?"

Wang Yang said unhurriedly:

"What the superior likes, the inferior must be worse. The King of Chu likes thin waists, and many palace maids starve to death. Thin waists are certainly not wrong, but the King of Chu shouldn't like—"

Speaking of this, his gaze inadvertently fell on Xie Xinghan's slender waist that could be held in one hand. Xie Xinghan's little face sank and she was about to flare up. Wang Yang hurriedly moved his gaze away and continued:

"Color is also not wrong, but the gentleman worries that the people will imitate it too much, so he stays away from it externally."

Xie Xinghan gritted her teeth and said hatefully: "I have never seen anyone who likes virtue as much as they like color."

"Confucius said this sentence, but didn't say liking color is bad."

Xie Xinghan seized the opportunity and asked back: "If color is good, why did the Master say 'When young, the blood and energy are not yet settled, guard against color'?"

"'When you are strong, the blood and energy are just right, guard against fighting', is fighting also bad?" Wang Yang said quickly.

Xie Xinghan answered:

"Of course it's bad! The Master said 'I don't associate with those who fight tigers and cross rivers without regret'!"

Wang Yang frowned and said seriously:

"Confucius wrote the 'Spring and Autumn Annals', and the rebellious ministers and thieves were afraid. Is this fighting?

Confucius was the acting prime minister of Lu, and executed Shaozheng Mao in seven days, is this fighting?

Confucius said: 'If the country perishes and you don't know, it's not wise; if you know and don't fight, it's not loyal; if it perishes and you don't die, it's not brave.'

Is this fighting?

If the country is in danger, if you don't fight, what then?

If justice is trampled, if you don't fight, what then?

If the people are humiliated, if you don't fight, what then?

When it is time to fight, even if there are ten million people, I will go!

When it is time to like color, even if the wife is ugly, there is no resentment!"

Zong Ce was drinking fragrant tea, listening to Wang Yang's impassioned speech, and when he heard the last sentence, he spat out a mouthful of tea! He thought Brother Wang was really amazing, he could make up such a thing from a joke, there was no one else!

Xie Xinghan's exquisite nose twitched slightly, and her tender fingers twisted in her sleeves, unable to find words to refute.

Zong Ce smiled: "Xie girl, you lost this round."

Xie Xinghan's pretty face tightened, only feeling that Wang Yang was extremely treacherous.

First, he caught a joke she made and suddenly attacked, catching her off guard. Then he set traps step by step, guiding the topic, using her anger at his lecherousness and her mockery of his lust to induce her to reveal flaws, and finally defeated her in one blow, and verified the initial argument. It can be described as interlocking and rigorous.

Although she felt unconvinced, she was a daughter of a great family after all, and after only a few blinks, she admitted defeat, her expression relaxed, and she nodded slightly:

"Wang Young Master's scheming is deep, his tongue is like a lotus flower, Xinghan lost this round..."

"Xinghan? Is your name Xie Xinghan? Which two characters?" Wang Yang asked curiously.

At that time, a woman's maiden name was not easily passed on. Even the young people in Jingzhou City who chased after Xie Xinghan mostly didn't know her real name and could only call her "Xie Fourth Miss."

Xie Xinghan didn't know what was going on, but she lost her composure and accidentally said her name.

But she was not a small-minded girl, so since she said it, there was no need to cover it up, and she said softly:

"The star of starlight, the 'han' of 'magnanimity'."

Wang Yang nodded: "The shadow suspects the stars are flooding at dawn, the light is like the dew containing autumn. Good name."

Xie Xinghan's star-like eyes narrowed: "Didn't you say you don't understand poetry?"

"Ahem." Wang Yang coughed twice, "Know a little, knowing a little doesn't count as knowing—"

"Then these two lines, are they also written by someone else?"

"They were written by someone else."

"You!"

Zong Ce shouted: "Wait! Xie girl, if you admit defeat, then the bet..."

Xie Xinghan's expression turned cold: "Of course I will give the bet I owe you, but the topic discussed in this round was too childish and not a formal pure conversation."

She looked at Wang Yang, her exquisite little face against the light, the curve from her chin to her jade neck looking movingly radiant.

"Does Wang Young Master have the courage to compete with me again? This time, talk about real profound learning."

Wang Yang looked at Xie Xinghan in a white and green gauze skirt, sitting opposite him quietly like a little fairy, feeling pleasing to the eye, and asked: "If you lose again, what will you do?"

Xie Xinghan raised her head slightly and asked back: "What do you want to do?"

At this time, the Xie family servant came to report that a servant from the Commandery Academy had delivered a note to Young Master Wang outside the door. Wang Yang took the note and hurriedly said:

"I have something to do, I will take my leave now. I will have someone send that volume of books to you later, within six days—"

Xie Xinghan said: "Copy three hundred copies, I will definitely do what I promised."

Zong Ce asked: "Brother Wang, where are you going? I was preparing to take you to visit friends on West Sand Island..."

"I'm going to see an old friend, next time, let's get together next time."

After Wang Yang left, Zong Ce urged:

"Girl, hurry up and give me the 'Zhuangzi Commentary', I won't be in your way here either."

Xie Xinghan ordered: "Seeing Xiao Ning, go get the book for Uncle Zong."

After Seeing Xiao Ning left, Xie Xinghan poured tea for Zong Ce and asked casually: "Uncle Zong, how did you meet Wang Yang?"

"Hey, it's a coincidence. Liu Zhao brought him to me this morning to handle household registration, I said I wouldn't—"

Zong Ce suddenly realized something and stopped talking.

"Handle what household registration?" Xie Xinghan asked indifferently.

"Handle what household registration? Did I say handle household registration? Hahaha! You heard wrong! I said mixing paste! You don't know, I recently got a few medicines, and they need to be stirred together into a paste to make a medicine, so it's called mixing paste!"

Zong Ce laughed, forced a few laughs, and changed the topic:

"Brother Wang gave a 'Zhuangzi Affection Theory' at my place, which shocked me and Liu Zhao. Let me tell you about it, I guarantee you haven't heard it!"

Xie Xinghan's star-like eyes flickered a few times, smiled, and said: "Alright." ===== CHAPTER 56 =====